Deferred salary
Using the deferred salary tactic to hide your money is one of the more simplistic strategies, yet it’s among the most effective -- because if you
don’t make it, they can’t take it. Often, this path is chosen by start-up entrepreneurs who wish to keep money free for operating expenses and can
afford to live on a lower salary for a period of time. This can help keep the start-up solvent through the typical growing pains, can offer tax
advantages and is a token (if transparent) goodwill gesture to employees.

If you only need to hide money through short-term scrutiny, this is a beauty. No matter how closely outsiders may peer, your meager earnings are
legitimate and accurate. Later, after the heat is off, you can catch up on lost time. It may not be a long-term shelter from the storm, but it’s a
strong shelter nevertheless.

Out-of-state LLC
When is a person not really a person? When that “person“ is a limited liability company (LLC). In the eyes of the law, an LLC is just as good as
a carbon-based life form, more or less. Actions, assets and liabilities of the LLC are those of the LLC, not you personally.

If you trust yourself, make a living trust or you could opt to get into bed with Uncle Sam… So would Murder, Inc. actually have been better off
doing business as Murder, LLC? Possibly, though the latter moniker doesn’t have the same ring to it. Anyway, the beneficial extent of LLCs depends
on where the business is based and, as you might have suspected, different states have different laws. When established with the proper forethought
and structure, an out-of-state LLC can be a wholly legitimate way to enjoy tax advantages while you hide your money. Meanwhile, it blurs the line
between person and “person.”

Equity stripping assets
If the steak doesn’t sizzle, who’s going to bother taking a bite? If your equity in an asset is reduced or minimized, it probably won’t be very
attractive to anyone who’d like to relieve you of it. Depending on circumstances and jurisdiction, it may not be possible.

Often performed with -- though not limited to -- real estate, equity stripping ties up the asset in the name of another party. A bank loan would be a
very costly (not to mention very public) way of achieving this, but it is one example. A more popular way to conduct this is through ownership
transfer to a trusted private party. You retain access to and use of the asset, though it does not belong to you. Understandably, equity stripping
requires proper execution to avoid incurring excess taxes and wiping out any advantages you’d otherwise have realized.

Living trusts
There’s no way to lose what isn’t yours, as long as you trust your trustee. In many areas, you can serve as grantor, trustee and beneficiary;
it’s all you. And if you can’t trust yourself, we suspect you have greater issues to contend with than how to hide your money.

However, if you are comfortable serving in a triple role, you can legally keep the wolves at bay through this ownership intervention, which also
happens to be a private matter, unlike probate. When you establish a living trust, the grantor (you) formally transfers ownership of assets to the
trust; as the trustee, you are responsible for managing the assets; and as the beneficiary, you are the recipient of the assets, though theoretically,
you won’t ever fulfill that obligation -- you’re hiding money, remember?

Work abroad and partner with Uncle Sam
When working and living abroad, the IRS takes a rare sympathetic stand and enables you to exclude over $80,000 in foreign annual earnings from your
U.S. tax reporting. Of course, it just couldn’t be an authentic IRS production without strings attached, and they include qualification under the
Bona Fide or Physical Presence restrictions. Yes, you actually have to live and work outside the good ol’ U.S. of A to get in on the action.

Granted, 80 large might not be enough for this to serve as your sole means of hiding money, but the legitimacy of the IRS’ blessing makes it hard to
beat when executed in conjunction with other means of hiding money.

inconspicuous consumption
When we reach a certain status in life, it becomes difficult to remain under the radar, but the truth remains that if you’ve got it and want to
keep it, you better hide it. As tough as it may be not to brag about what you actually own on paper, there will come a very rainy day when you’ll be
glad you hid your money -- you can bank on it.

Deferred salary is still on the books of said company and taxes are paid on it.
Out-of-state LLC. Once again they have to report to the IRS.
Equity stripping assets. One calims a loss and the other claims a gain. All on the books.
Living trusts . Still reports to the IRS. Taxes are still paid.
Work abroad and partner with Uncle Sam. The $80K mentioned would taxed harder in the UK than the US.
inconspicuous consumption. 12 trillion buys a lot of big toys that you can't hide.

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